Analytical Modeling and Band-Structure Engineering of Resonant Tunneling Diode for Biased Terahertz Detector

Abstract

A new strategy to significantly enhance the nonlinearity of double-barrier resonant tunneling diode (RTD) in the positive differential resistance region is theoretically proposed and experimentally demonstrated. An analytical model containing physical insight into the resonant tunneling process is established to bridge the nonlinearity of the current–voltage curve and the band-structure information of RTD. It intuitively shows that the intrinsic current responsivity of RTD as well as its nonlinearity can be greatly improved via band-structure engineering, as enhancing the resonant energy level of the well and reducing the current before the resonant tunneling process. The validation of the proposed model and the associated band-structure engineering strategy are verified by both device simulation and experiments. A RTD device with intrinsic current responsivity of 6.74 A/W is realized, while the peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) is also as large as 8.92. This method provides a new pathway to design high-performance terahertz (THz) detectors using double-barrier RTD and may share new perspective on the potential of RTD-based THz transceivers.